Sanitaey dry closet



March 8,1932. j, HARTY JR 1,848,525 d SANITARY DRY cLosET Filed March27, 1950 Patented Mar. 8, 1932 JOSEPH LUTHER HART, JR., CHICKASHA,OKLAIOMA SANITARY DRY oLosE'r Application led March 27, 1930. Serial No.439,430.

This invention relates to dry closets, familiarly known as. outdoortoilets, and is designed to render them sanitary through pit closure andexternal ventilation.

An object ofthe invention is to provide a Vcloset of this type havingpit fully closed when the toilet is not in use, with an outside ventcommunicating with the pit and forming the only means of fume exit andact-ing automatically to exhaust heated vapors therefrom7 causing` asuction inducing downward leakage of cold air. through pit closurejoints onthe interiorof thetoilet to create interior fumepreventing"circulation ordraught outwardly andl externally. Ey fullyclosing the pit when not in use,l all heated generated therein is madeeffective to cause upward flow of heat vapor through the outside vent7with the interior of the closet maintained free from fumes. 'f

A further object of the invention is the provision of a. toilet hopperhaving` 'closure valve below the seat with means for automaticallymoving said valve to pit closing position when the seat is not in use.

These and other objects and the structural features through which theyare attained will be more clearly apparent from the following detaileddescription which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings forming part thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a closet and pitconstructed in accord'ance with the present invention, including theoutside vent and its connection to 'the pit, the valve being shown .inclosed position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on an enlarged scale takenon line 2 2 of Figure 1, but with the seat and valve only partiallylifted.

The closet in its entirety is shown in Figure 1 in which its roof 1overlies and its walls 2 enclose a pit 3, dug, for example, in theearth,I and completely over laid by the floor 4 of the closet. which maybe of metal, for example, and provided with a. hopper opening 5 thereinoverlyingl the pit 3 and edged by a depending flange 6.

A hopper 7 which may be of metal, is preferably7 as shown, provided witha .vertical ing and close communication front wall 8, outwardlydiverging side walls 9, and an outwardly diverging rear wall 10, eachprovided at their lower end with an outturned flange 11 with theenlarged area of the lower end of the hopper slightly greater than andconforming in contour with that of the hopper opening 3 in the floor sothat the flanges ll-will rest upon the floor at the edge of the opening3 and may be bolted thereto as shown to provide a substantially airtight junction therewith.

The open top of the hopper has applied thereto a cover plate 12 havingdownturned edge flanges 13 embracing the top of the hopper sides, and isprovided, additionally, with' an opening 14 therein overlaid hy 'a'seat15 hingedly mounted at its rear end by the yupper arms 16 of a. pair ofL-shaped hinge straps to they cover plate 12 at the rear edge of itsopening 14. The lower arms 17 of these' f hinged straps are attached tothe upper face of a valve plate 18 at its rear edge. This valve plate isshaped to have its marginal edges slightly overlap the edges of theopening 14 when abutting thereagainst. An arm 19 is rigidly connectedwith one side of this plate at its rear edge and extends downwardlytherefrom. A coiled tension 'spring 2O has one end anchored to the lowerend of arm 19 and extends at the .outer side of the side of the plateforwardly to the forward end of the hopper where it is anchored to theunder fa ce of the cover plate 12 at a point beyond the area of contactof the marginal edge of the valve plate therewith. The tension of thisspring is normally Vell'ective to act against the valve plate and hingedstraps 16-17 to swing' the valve plate upwardly to contact the edges ofthe openand the hopperfabove the valve plate. and coincidently to swingthe seat upwardly as shown in Figure 1.

Then the seat is pressed downwardly and weight is superimposef thereonthe L-shaped hinge arms 16-17 will coincidently swing the valve plate 18downwardly and hold the hopper open and in communication with the pit solong as weight is superimposed on the seat 15.

hetween the pit Vlth the seat not in use and raised through the springthe pit is closed against thefexit 2 of the, closet frame. The lowerendV of this Yao vent pipe is open and imbeddedin the earth asubstantial distance to provide drain into the earthffor any, liquidentering the pipe, suoli as rain, snowk and sleet,'condensation, etc.

. From a point above the lower end of the upstanding vent pipe, andbelow the top of the pit opening, a lateral-imbedded vent 23 of similarci'oss section extends-from an end of communication withfp'ipe 2llaterally through the earth to enter and communicate Vwith theinteriorof thepit opening adjacent `but.belowjits top. rfhe lateral vent ispref- Verablysupported from thefiooring lby a suitable depending bracket24 or reliance may be placed, if desired on the maintenance of Y vthe/support byl the earthjorfother substance 1 in which it is imbedded.n

Y.The vertical pipe-2l and Vits lateral eiitenvsion 23 are preferably ofrectangular cross .section since thisfacilitates a tight gunction. Y

bers mounted at the rear of said opening and each having angularlydisposedleaf members, a seat connected to one leaf of said hinge, avalve'connected to said other leaf, said seat and valve being arrangedfor alternate engagement with said top closure, said valve being of asize to completely close the opening in said top closure when'positioned therebeneath, and resilient means for holding said valve inclosed relation with said top upon ymovement of said seat to raisedinoperative position. Y Y

2. A dry closet having a pit, ahopper having its baseseated over andenclosing the top of said pit, a top closure for said hopper having anopening therein, a pair of hinged members mounted at the rear ofsaidvopening and each having angularly disposed leaf elements, a seatconnected to one leaf .of said hinge, a valve V.connected to said otherleaf, said seatand valve being arranged for alternate vengageinent withsaid top enclosure,

l(said valve being of a'sizeto completely close the openingk in said topclosure when positioned therebeneath,.a rigid armca-rried by said valve,andy a tension spring secured be-V JosEPHiLUrn-ER JR;

Theinternal cross sectional area of both i theverticalvent 2l andlateral 23 are invtended to be substantially greater than-the area ofany air leaking @revises-which may exist, theoretically, betweenv thevalve and yhopper Vwith -the former closed. Conse- Vquently with ythepit closed at the *side by the imbedded lateral and at the top of thehopper V- -taire place.

valve, ksubstantially'all gases generated inthe vpit will follow thelarger .escape opening and vent through the lateral and-vertical venttubes 28 and 21 to atmosphere externally of vthe closet, and `anycrevioes that may exist in the hopper and-floor and'hopper and valvejoints will aid this venting movement Vby causing cold air to passdownwardly therethrough forcing an outward and upward external ventingof the--warnier air and vapors in the pit. vNo airv or fumes, therefore,willfpass upwardly through Y' the hopper Vjoints with the hopper valveclosed and constant outward venting circulation of air and fumes to aIsolaim y l. A dry closet Vhaving a pit, a hopper having its base seatedover and enclosingk the top of said'pit, a top closure for said hopperhavpoint externally of the closet will ing an opening therein, a pair ofhinge mein-

